Sungkyu clicked his tongue and stayed looking at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a moment and heard a voice, Nayeon's voice, "I love you." It was a resounding memory that echoed from years in the past. He took a deep breath and spoke with a soft voice, "I love you too..." 

Mina had her foot in the door the whole time, so she heard his confession; she stepped into the room with a beaming smile and said, "I love you, too!"

 Sungkyu was sitting up, blinking and blinking, unsure of what to say. His words were never directed to her, and he knew it would severely hurt her if he said the truth. In an effort to escape this predicament, he patted the space next to him and with a forced grin he said, "You can sit here."

Mina accepted his invitation and sat. She had a curious look, "it might be the wrong time, but..." she took a deep breath as her warm hand cradled Sungkyu's cold hand, "but maybe because so much is going on, that well- you know!"

 Sungkyu had a gut feeling she was talking about proposing, "no, I don't know," he quickly replied.

 The corners of sagged as disappointment flushed her face, "You mean, but..."

Sungkyu attempted to loosen his hand, but Mina tightly grasped it. "Won't you stay here with me for a while?"

 Sungkyu stuttered, "Uhmm..."

Woohyun slammed open the door, and Sungkyu was only happy to escape the moment.

 "A fishing ship had just been sunk by another demon, this one looked like a giant turtle with a cannon on its back!"

 Sungkyu rubbed his face, "Man! Things are just getting crazier," he said with a groan.

 He stood up at once and moved toward the door but Woohyun stopped him before he actually got out, "You can't go," he whispered into Sungkyu's ears.

Sungkyu stepped back, "Woohyun!" he instinctively looked back at Mina. "I have to! This is all my fault."

 "No you don't, Sungkyu. I told you already- we're retired," Woohyun replied, "'sides, Borden and his people are already on it. I already told him you can't go, and he agreed."

 Sungkyu sighed, "I have to, though. And, just hearing Borden's name angers me. He and you kept something like that hidden from me for so long? It's not right you kept quiet about her for so long. It's as though I was forced to watch a scorpion sting it's venom into my veins before getting my eyes picked out by crows."

 "I'm sorry, I already told you."

 "If you're really sorry, you'd let me be the one to stop all this."

 Woohyun bit the inside of his cheeks, and then spoke with a low voice, "it's because I'm sorry, that I can't let you go."

 Sungkyu was frustrated, he glimpsed at Mina who had never ceased to stare at him. Sungkyu blinked and in that very instance, he was shoved by Woohyun into the room. Sungkyu, confused, yelled at Woohyun, "Why?!"

 Woohyun quickly locked the door, and said with a sigh, "I'm sorry! It's the only way to stop you!"

 Mina approached Sungkyu (still on the floor), "What's wrong with Woohyun?"

Woohyun heard Mina's voice, "At least you have company! But no funny business!" he added with a laugh.

 Sungkyu tugged at his hair, "what do I do now?"

 Mina placed her head on his back, "I guess you really want to fight, but just for today, can't you stay with me?" Her arms naturally wrapped themselves around his torso, "please! I can't bear to be even 60 seconds without you."

 Sungkyu furled his lips in a scene of dissatisfaction, frustration, and anger as he remembered how he once told Nayeon those very words, "I can't be even one minute- one second without you!"

Mina squeezed him harder, "how about it?"

 "Do you, by chance, have your phone on you? I forgot mines outside the room."

 Mina smiled and spoke with a pleasant voice, "yeah." She took it out of her pocket and placed it in his hand.

He immediately went to check the news that was constantly updating on all the recent attacks.

Mina hovered over his shoulder, but her hair tickled Sungkyu, so he scooted a little to the side, "I'm sorry..."

 "It's okay," she said as she scooted closer to him.

 Sungkyu read how one of the monsters, now actually being referred to by the news as "Demons", was taken down by a man with white face-paint in a black trench coat. "That's Borden," Sungkyu remarked, "he's wearing his war colors". 

 "Hey," Mina patted his thigh.

 "Yeah?"

 "I love you."

He smiled in return, "thank you for being with me."

Sungkyu laid back on the floor and fell asleep. Mina was consumed by the tickling sensation in her heart, she delicately traced his lips with her finger and kissed him. She stayed with her lips pressed against his for a whole minute. He was awoken by her warm breath however, and his eyes opened wide as they stayed on her. He slowly crawled away.

 Mina sat up, she was embarrassed, but could not help but feel hurt at his reaction, "what's wrong?" she asked with a worried tone, " It's not the first time... "

 "..."

 "You've kissed me before..."

 Sungkyu's face turned red, "Ahh, it's just that everything's different now," Sungkyu spoke while considering the fact that Nayeon is alive somewhere.

Mina misinterpreted, thinking he was speaking about the tragic events currently unfolding, "I'm sorry!"

 "It's fine"

 "I'll wait..."

 The sound of glass shattering from outside the room was heard.

 Sungkyu jumped to his feet. "That's it!" he shouted as he kicked open the door. "Why didn't I think about this sooner?"

He stepped out of the room and saw Woohyun picking up the remains of a glass cup, "I'm sorry, it was just an accident~"

 Sooyoung sighed, "Make sure to clean everything..."

 Sungkyu was blank, "it was-"

Woohyun looked up with an anxious face, "Sungkyu, just stay here."

 Sooyoung gently sat the baby into its cradle and then cleared her voice, "Woohyun, just tell him why you dropped the glass."

 Woohyun picked up the final shard with extreme caution and placed it into the towel he had been using to collect them, he tied the small towel and sat it into the trash. Now he wiped his hands and let out a deep breath. "I saw Borden die. The news showed him being brutally killed."

 "What?!"

 Woohyun scrambled his hair, "What do we do? The demons seem to be increasing- the news reported sightings and attacks all across the globe."

 "How?"

 "Remember Solomon's Ring? The item Jaejoong used to seal the first 6 fallen angels? I think she's using it..."

 "But why?"

 "I don't know, Sungkyu. I just don't know."

 Sooyoung had her arms crossed and grunted at the two to signal that Mina was approaching.

 "Is something wrong? Have they been stopped?" Mina asked.

 Sungkyu was noticeably worried, "I have to go."

 Woohyun was quiet.

The lot of them gasped in surprise when at once the window they were standing by shattered. 
Before all of them was crouching a demon resembling a leopard or some other wild cat. It growled, but Sungkyu was quick to react and smashed its head onto the floor. He grabbed it in a headlock, but the demon clawed at his arm, letting blood flow down.

Woohyun hurried and twisted the demon's legs until they finally broke with a loud snap. Sungkyu nodded as Woohyun glanced at him and broke the demon's neck. The two backed away and looked at each other. "I have to go," Sungkyu said as he rushed to kick the demon out the window.

 Woohyun nodded, "but you aren't able to transform!"

 "I have to do what I can, even if I'm only a man." 

Woohyun tore a piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around Sungkyu's arm in order to stop the bleeding.

Sooyoung hugged her child and gestured for Mina to go into the bedroom, where it was safer.

Mina kept her eyes fixed on Sungkyu, "Don't go!"

 Woohyun took out a small white stone from his pocket and handed it over to Sungkyu.

 "What's this?" Sungkyu asked.

 "It's the stone Jaejoong entrusted to me. Remember when I said it was a memento? On the day I buried his remains?"

 "Yeah... I do."

Woohyun continued, "It's the stone David used to kill Goliath. They call it the King's Stone. Use it. I'm not sure if it'll do anything, but I have a feeling it's got your name on it, that it'll be needed by you..."

 "Thanks."

 Woohyun's voice was strained, "I have to stay here and take care of them."

 Mina got in Sungkyu's way when he took a step toward the door, "Don't leave. Let the others take care of it," she was desperate, "didn't you say there's a whole organization or whatever that takes care of things like these?"

 An explosion was heard in the background.

 "You don't understand, Mina. I have to go. I caused this. I have to take care of this." Sungkyu clenched his fist as the memory of Nayeon smiling popped up in his mind.

 "But what about the ring you were hiding yesterday? I do! I'll say yes!"

 Sungkyu's face drifted to the floor, "I'm sorry. I realized something. I don't love you."

 Mina slammed her fist on Sungkyu's chest, "I hate you," she said with a whimper. "There is no 'No', only 'yes' or 'yes'!"

 Sungkyu brought her head close to his chest and Mina naturally embraced him. Sungkyu caressed her head, "Find someone else."

 "No! Don't say that- please!"

 Sungkyu let go, Woohyun pulled Mina away and restrained her as Sungkyu left out the door, "I'll wait for you!" she shouted.

 He never turned back, on the contrary, he ran harder toward the elevator.

Outside the apartment complex, Sungkyu questioned where he should go. The streets were deathly quiet, since everyone was hiding from all the danger. All of a sudden, a demon's hand materialized from the ground beneath him, clutching his leg. Sungkyu bravely gripped the wicked looking hand and broke it. The demon came above ground and shrilled in pain. Sungkyu continued and delivered his killing move, the running single-leg drop-kick. 

Sungkyu moved on and the demon's remains exploded. Unsure of where to go, Sungkyu chose to go to his apartment and fetch his scarf. "If only I had my other arm, I'd be able to drive the old Dual-Chaser motorcycle," he remarked as he kept on running down the empty streets.

It took Sungkyu three hours by foot to finally reach his room. He had killed a total of 17 demons on the way there.

He rummaged through his closet until he found the scarlet scarf. He held it close to his heart and closed his eyes for a brief moment, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a snowy field. 

He was puzzled. "Is it Nayeon?" he asked as he tied the scarf around his neck. 

 A demon, resembling a humanoid cobra, leapt at him. It's tongue Sungkyu who was on the ground, struggling to get out of the hold.

Sungkyu noticed he had mysteriously changed form, so he gained some confidence. He brought his legs up to his chest and kicked the demon off. The demon was launched into the air, and Sungkyu continued his assault by jumping and landing a devastating punch on the demon's abdomen. The demon was propelled even higher into the air until if finally exploded into pieces.

Sungkyu stood in the snowy meadow all alone, wondering where to go. It was a sublime scenery to take in, and memories of old flooded his mind, adding to the mystical scenario.

 "Where are you?" he said under his breath with much melancholy.

He heard a voice whisper in his ear, "Come."

 "Nayeon!"

 Sungkyu heard the voice again, this time behind him. He followed after the voice until it led him to the base of a mountain.

He saw the haze of his breath depart him and then looked toward the peak of the mountain that was surrounded by thick clouds.

 "Almost there!" the voice whispered.

Sungkyu clenched his fist and ran up the mountain with all his might until he saw her standing in front of him.

 "Nayeon!"

 She was silent.

 Surely enough, it was Nayeon in the flesh. She was dressed in a black dress, with it's train spreading out some feet behind her, her skin was just as pale as when he last saw her, like the white of a Jasmine flower; her lips were like blood, but her eyes were dim- they had no shine. She carried a garland on her head and a vacant look on her face. She was empty. On her finger was the Ring of Solomon.

Sungkyu ran to her, but he was tripped by a demon who launched itself at his legs, causing him to stumble.

 "Get off me!" Sungkyu crushed the skull of the demon and got back up, only to be brought down by a group of four demons who threw themselves at him.

 "Stop this!" Sungkyu shouted at Nayeon.

She didn't reply: she only stayed staring.

Sungkyu finally broke loose and overpowered the demons, killing them one after the other. He walked slowly over to Nayeon as the demons' remains exploded behind him.

Now in front of her, Sungkyu hugged her and kissed her head. 

Just as mysteriously as he had transformed minutes earlier, so he was now in human form. However, he was still with clothing.

He whispered into her ear softly, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If only I would've learned to let go."

 She didn't reply.

 He brought her head to his chest and kissed the top of her head, "But, I loved you until death, and more than that. My whole life without you has been a journey through the decay..."

 A lone tear trickled down his cheek. This time, Nayeon showed some reaction. She brought her small hand up to his face and caringly wiped the tear away with her thumb.

He took hold of it and kissed it, "You have to stop this."

Sungkyu began to pull the Ring of Solomon from off her finger, but Nayeon pulled herself away.

She nodded no furiously, "I have to bring peace!"

 "No! Not like this! That's just something the fallen angel implanted into your heart! It's a vestige of what you were meant to do! You don't have to do this!"

 She clenched her teeth and gestured with her hand in a waving motion, summoning countless demons. They all threw themselves at Sungkyu.

 "Nayeon! Please stop!"

Sungkyu mustered all his strength, but the enemy was strong in numbers. He reached for the white stone in his pocket and begged for help. Almost magically, the demons vanished off of him.

Nayeon waved her hand again and even more demons appeared. They all rushed in Sungkyu's direction.

 He swallowed his spit, "I'm going to die here," was the sobering thought that echoed in his mind. "God help!"

 The stone in his hand began to shine and he heard a small whisper, "Command it to flash."

 Sungkyu was doubtful, thinking he was going to die. "Be with me in the next life."

The demons growled and jumped in his direction.

He closed his eyes and yelled, "King Stone, Flash!"

The stone produced a blinding light and immediately, a path before him was cleared as all the demons the light touched vanished into nothingness.

He ran in Nayeon's direction and tackled her down, making sure her head was cradled by his hand and that he took the blunt impact.

She struggled to let go, but Sungkyu kissed her cold forehead, causing her to stop.

He took the Ring of Solomon off her finger and crushed it to dust. Sungkyu reached for the engagement ring still in his pocket and placed it on her finger with tears.

 "This was always yours, you know. It only fits you"

 Nayeon blinked and a tear slid down her cheek.

 "I'm sorry!" Sungkyu vehemently cried. "If only I could have accepted your death, then none of this would've happened! Nobody would have died!"

 Nayeon brought his head to her bosom and spoke with a tearful voice, "I love you."

 He only wept harder and harder, bitterly and bitterly.

 Nayeon caressed his back, "I love you."

 Sungkyu fell into her eyes and cried bitterly, "I have to say goodbye."

She nodded as her eyes began to glimmer from the restrained tears. "I love you."

 Nayeon inclined her head, pulled her hair behind her ear, and kissed him softly on his lips. She then collapsed on him.
 

 Sungkyu wept as Nayeon became dust on his chest, leaving him with a heart to bury. 

  FIN

Thank you for reading :)